The Boston Red Sox have announced the release of former Dodgers top prospect right-hander Walker Buehler.

As the Red Sox welcomed their top pitching prospect Payton Tolle to the major leagues, making his highly anticipated debut today against the Pirates ace Paul Skenes, the club had to make a tough roster move to accommodate the 22-year-old phenom.

Veteran right-hander and two-time World Series champion Walker Buehler was released after being removed from the starting rotation a week ago.

“This was truly an extremely difficult decision,” said Red Sox baseball chief Craig Breslow. “He has long been an excellent starting pitcher in the majors. Although injuries have limited his availability, we believed he could still improve our rotation. When it became clear he might contribute more effectively out of the bullpen, we made that call.”

“We hoped and expected to give him enough time to adjust and transition into that role, so he could help us with key outs down the stretch. But things changed — Richard Fitts got injured, we lost a long-relief arm in the bullpen, and tonight we needed a starter. At this point, we felt this was the best decision for the team.”

On a busy day of roster moves, the Red Sox also recalled infielder/outfielder Nick Sogard from Triple-A Worcester and optioned outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia to Worcester.

Buehler, who helped the Dodgers win the World Series last year, signed a one-year $21.05 million contract with the Red Sox for 2025, including a mutual option for 2026. However, the veteran righty struggled, posting a 7-7 record with a 5.45 ERA across 23 games (22 starts).

Before his release, Buehler made one relief appearance on August 24 at Yankee Stadium, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing two runs.

“When we moved him to the bullpen, we expected to give him ample time to acclimate and contribute during high-leverage moments,” Breslow said. “As I mentioned, the roster situation shifted, and we are focused on positioning this team to win as many games as possible down the stretch.”

Typically, the club would designate a player for assignment rather than outright releasing him, but this more direct approach was partly intended to give Buehler a quicker chance to latch onto a new team.

“We just wanted to show respect and understanding for him as a person and for what he has accomplished, and we felt this was the fairest way to handle it at this stage,” Breslow added.

Several of Buehler’s stats hit career lows, including strikeouts per nine innings (6.7) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.53), which contributed to the decision to move him to the bullpen.

Still, the 31-year-old showed glimpses of brilliance, such as his six scoreless innings against the Padres on August 8.

“It’s tough, but that’s where we are right now,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “I had a good talk with him today. We’ll see what happens next. I know it hasn’t gone the way he or we hoped. We all expected more, and so did he. But as a player, his baseball IQ is impressive. I still believe he has the ability. I’ve enjoyed my time with him, learned a lot, and wish him the best.”

Despite confidence in their top three starters Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito, injuries and performance issues have left the fourth and fifth rotation spots unstable.

Dustin May (acquired at the trade deadline) and Tolle will temporarily fill those roles.

“We’re playing important games and want to give ourselves every chance to win as many as possible. We believe Payton and Dustin give us the best opportunity,” Breslow said. “We need a reliable starter right now, and that’s exactly our situation.”

For Tolle, this is a rapid promotion. He started the season at High-A Greenville, was promoted to Double-A Portland on June 24, and reached Triple-A Worcester on August 6 based on his pitching performance.

“We promoted Payton expecting him to contribute during the stretch run, though exactly how remains to be seen,” Breslow said. “But over the past four or five months, he’s impressed at every level. He’s made significant developmental strides, and we have every reason to believe he can become an excellent major league starting pitcher.”